Footwear, the Foundation of Our Children's Future

When buying footwear the things usually considered are appearance, are they easy to get on and off, will they protect my feet under the conditions I will use them, and maybe the cost. It turns out that the decision for what kind is chosen can be much more complex.

Young children’s brains are developing and most of the important foundation work for the brain occurs when we are young. At certain ages there is what is called a myelinization process where a protective sheath around neural pathways in the brain develops. These pathways are like highways in the brain where messages can travel quickly. When this process is diminished the messages traveling in the brain slows down and reduces the brain’s capability. Both the development of the brain and myelinization process are stimulated by movement. Children increase their ability to move through their play. When children play they develop a sense of movement, sense of balance and fine and gross motor movement skills, all of which stimulate brain development for later academic work. When children are first discovering their new relationship to movement the choice of footwear is important. When running and jumping, sneakers with a flat bottom are the best. Running sneakers tend to rise up at the toe decreasing the surface area which reduces the base that is needed to develop these new skills such as balance.

The sneakers should also tie. There are at least three good reasons why young children should have tie shoes. The first is that in the early years the child’s will forces are developing. In later years when the child is in high school does he or she have the will to finish the math problems or go the extra mile and produce an excellent paper or is it too much trouble to go the extra mile. Our schools have too many students who have low will forces that become evident with the requirements of completing a project. When tying shoes the child has to do the task over and over and if they are not tied correctly the laces will come undone and must be tied again. Not only is this reinforcing the will but also doing the tying (job or work) correctly. The second reason is in today’s world a high degree of finger dexterity (fine motor skill) is needed to operate today’s technology such as computers. Finger dexterity is exercised every time children tie their shoes. The third reason is to help overcome the midline and horizontal barrier. The cerebrum is separated into two halves (hemispheres) that are connected by a bridge called the corpus callosum. When the child is young the corpus callosum is not well developed and communication between the two hemispheres is limited creating a sort of void in the center of the body. This void is referred to as the midline barrier. A young child will find it hard to cross her arms over the chest out of imitation. The young child will usually keep the arms on either side of the midline. As the child goes to kindergarten and first grade (change of teeth) this barrier disappears and crossing becomes easier and easier with practice and time. The disappearance of the midline barrier is very important later when reading because children must cross the midline (with their eyes) when reading each line and at the end of the line must cross the midline going in the other direction. When doing a division problem one must carry the remainder once again crossing the midline. Children who have difficulty crossing this barrier often get lost in reading and/or math because there is a split second of a void which the child must be able to pick up on the other side. With every knot that is tied the child practices crossing the midline when the laces cross. As with the vertical midline barrier there is a horizontal midline barrier that the child overcomes again with practice and repetition. When a child ties her shoes she has to bend over, crossing this barrier twice or more each time the shoes are put on.

The child’s movements such as crawling, standing and running as well as fine motor skills such as tying shoes are the foundations that future academic work depends on. It is up to teachers and parents to provide the opportunity for healthy movement while at the same time preventing barriers such as improper foot wear or clothing. This intention may be met with resistance because of cultural pressures or that tie shoes are harder to put on. As the child grows older resistance may increase, however the foundation has been laid and compromising is then possible.